Water-softening apparatus.



W. MoA. BRUCE.

WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1908.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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$ 275 655 (as (ya c7 W.- MoA. BRUCE.-

WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 21 1908.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Inc/672502":

Km? 0AM W. McA. BRUCE.

WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED AUG. 21, 1908.

91 2,803. Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UnITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM McAFEEBRUCE, OF CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLIN ASSIGNQR TO KENNIGQTT WATER/- SOFTENEB. QOMPANY, OF QHICAGQ, ILLINOIS. A QQR QBATION OF ILLINOIS.

WATEB SOFTENING QPPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patente F b- 1 ,1909- rrl ca on filed A g t 1 08- serial No. 9, 4

"To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known t v Bacon, a citizen of the United States,'r esid at Chicago Heights, inthe county of flock and State of Illinois, have invented a new and, useful Improvement in Water Soften' g Apparatus, of which the following isa specification.

apparatus in which the mechanism for automatically controlling and regulating the Supply of the chemical to the hard or raw water to be softened by it surmounts the 'precipitaing or settling tank for mixture -with the raw water before it enters the tank; andYit relates particularly to the improvement of details of the said mechanism and combinations of parts to the end of simplifyin its construction and enhancing its durability and reliability in o oration.

In the accompanying drawings, igure 1 is a broken plan view of a water-softening apparatus ro'videdwith my improvements; -Fig. 2 is a roken reduced section on line 2, Fig. 1; Fig.3 is. an'enlarged section on line '3, Fig. 1, and Fig. ifshows a regulatingvalve detail in from; elevation.

The precipitating tank 7 shown is one of known construction containing a downwardly flaring downtake-conduit 8 having a basketein its upper end, indicated by a dotted representation in Fig. 2; to receive fromthe mechanism surmountingthe tank the hard water and chemical for treating I .-.usually lime,'soda-ash, or copperas in it solution, or two or all of these chemicals in' proper proportions. Thesurmounting meehanism is supported, as'usual, on'I-beams -10 extending across the open top of the tank 7,

- and it iIFvolves a water-wheel 11, of the rotary 'stirrer 16 having its vertical shaft 17 evershot variety, in a casing 12, driven by the flow against it from a supply-pipe 13 of the hard water to be treated; a shaft 14 carrying the wheel centrally thereof and journaled in bearings on its casing, and'a chemical-solution holder 15 containing a geared to the drive-shaft 14 for continually actuating thestirrer, while the machine is in operation, to agitate the solution for m int n ng uniformity in its strength.

"The "parts thus fem-described need involve no featuresof novelty.

at I, WILITIAMI McA EE.

The hard water discharging from the spout 13 enters a box 18 seated on the to of the water-wheel casing 12 and provides in its base with a relatively large outletopening 19 for the discharge of the'water to the wheel, this opening being preferably equipped with a slide-valve, indicated by dotted lines at 20 in Fig. 1, for regulating the 'discharge through it; and a much smaller opening 22 is provided in the base of the box and has a pipe 23 of small bore extending from it, shown to be rigidly supported near its discharge-end in a bracket 24 on the solution-holder 15. A vertical plate 25 extends radially from the solution-tank Well toward the shaft 17 above the stirrer-blades to tend to prevent an undue extent, of undulation of the solution under the action of the, stirrer.

In the holder 15 is a float-box 26 open at its top and containing a false bottom 27 forming with the'base of the box an interposed air-ti ht compartment 28. This box is pivotal] ung at its ends on correspond ing ends 0 rods 29, 29 pivoted at their opposite ends to the innerwall of the holder. On oneouter end of the box 26 is journaled the head-end of a solution-inlet pi e 30 extending parallel with the adjacent re 29 and having at its opposite end a flexible cou l ng with a discharge-spout 81 extending t rough the holder-wall in the. lane-between the opposingly deflected on s 32 of two similar dis.-

charge-spouts 33 extending over the preoipi-- tating tank from the bottom of the wheelcasin 12. On the opposite outer end of the floatex is journaled, to extend arallel with the adjacent rod 29, the head-en of a waterdischarge pipe 34' having a flexible coupling at its-olpposite end with a spout 35 extendmg' throug the Wall of the solution-holder to discharge outside the holder 15 and preferablv, as shown, into the tank 7. The pivotal connections with the'float-box of the rods 29 and pipes 30 and 34 are such as to cause them to operate on the arallel-rule principle under the rising and allin movementsof the box which is maintains discharge-end of the pipe 23. The inletopehing to the pi e 30 at its pivotal headconnection with t e float-box is in the form of a slot 36, adjacent to which is ivoted a wing-valve 37 having a handle 38 y which to turn and-set it for covering more or less of the area of the slot to regulate the inflow of solution into the pipe. he outlet-open1ng in line with the 1 from the boxinto the head of the pipe 34 is also a slot like the slot 36 and is provided inside the box with a valve-contrivance like that described for the pipe 30 and similarly 5 designated in Fig. 2 except that the referencecharacters denoting the parts are primed.

'lhe operation is as follows: The holder contains the supply of the chemical solution of proper strength and in suflicient quantity for the apparatus during its runfor a redetermined number of hours. A valved iaucet is shown at 39, Fig. 2, for supplying to the holder the water for the solution. With hard water to be treated running from the 15 supply-spout 13 into the box 18, most of it flows through the outlet upon the wheel 11, turning the latter to drive thestirrer 16;

and the water escapes at the dischargespouts 33 into the precipitating tank by way of the basket 9. A small proportion of the water that enters the box 18 flows from the smaller opening 22 through the pipe 23 and discharges into the float-box 26, weighting the latter in accordance with the volume of the flow into it to depress it in the solution and thereby bring the inlet in the head of the pipe 30, which is in the nature of the ordinary lift-pipe, below the level of the solution; and the water that enters the float-box overflows through the discharge opening into the pipe 34 and escapes into the tank 7. Variation in the flow into the box 18 will vary accordingly the quantity of outflow at the spouts 33 and that at the pipe 23 to depressthe float more when the flow is greater and less when the flow is diminished, to introduce a greater or smaller supply ofthe chemical solution into the pipe in accordance with the requirement; 'I he relative positions of the s outs 31 and 33 cause 1mpingement of t e hard water streams dis charging from the latter and impingement against them, at a right-angle thereto, of the stream of solution discharging from the spout 31, with the advantage of forcibly eflecting thorough and intimate mixture of the solu tion with the raw water-while both are in suspension.

What I claim as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a water-softening apparatus, the combination with a precipitating tank, of means for supplying thereto water to be treated, a pair of spouts for discharging said water into said tank having opposing outlets to cause the discharging streams to impinge against each other, and a chemicalsolution holder having a discharge-spout directed in the plane of the'discharges from said pair of spouts.

2. In a water-softening apparatus, the

combination with a precipitating tank, of an' incased water-wheel surmounting said tank in the path of the supply of water to be p treated, a pair of discharge-spouts extending from the wheel-casing with their discharge-- ends opposed to each other, a chemical-solution holder surmounting said tankand containing a stirrer geared to said wheel, and a discharge-spout extending from said holder to discharge between the opposing ends of said pair of spouts.

3. In a Water-softening apparatus, the combination with a precipitating tank, of a water-box surmounting said tank in the path of the supply thereto of water to be treated and provided with a relatively large discharge-outlet leading to said tank and a smaller discharge-outlet, a chemical-solution holder surmounting said tank, a float-box in said holder, a pivotal solution-dischargin pipe in said holder provided near one end wlth an inlet-opening at which it is flexibly connected with one end of the float-box,. a pivotal water-discharging pipe in said holder provided near one end, at which it is flexibly connected with the opposite end of the floatand a pipe leading from said smaller charge-outlet to the float-box.

4. In a water-softening apparatus, the combination with a precipitating. tank, of a water-box surmountingsaid tank in the path of the supply thereto of water to be treated and provided with a relatively large discharge-outlet leading to said tank and a smaller discharge-outlet, a chemical-solution holder surmounting said tank, a float-box in said holder provided with a false-bottom and pivotally su ported on the corresponding ends of rods avfrng their opposite ends similarly supported on the holder-wall, a pivotal solution-discharging pipe in said holder provided near one end with an inlet-opening at which it is flexibly connected with one end of the float-box to extend parallel with the adj acent rod, a pivotal water-discharging pipe in said'holder rovided near one end, at which it is flexibly connected-witl1.the opposite end of the float-box, with an outlet for the Water therefrom and extending parallel with the adjacent rod, and a pipeleading from said smaller discharge-outlet to the float-box.

5. In a water-softening apparatus, the combination with a precipitating tank, of an incased water-wheel surmounting said tank and provided with an outlet thereto, a water-box on the wheel-casing and into which enters the supply of water to be treated, said box having a relatively large outlet leading to said wheel and a smaller outlet, a chemical-solution holder surmounting said tank and containing a stirrer geared to said wheel, afloat-box in said holder, water and solution discharge-spouts leading from said holder, a solution-discharging pipe in said holder pivotally coupled at one end with said solution-discharge spout and ro vided at its opposite end with a va ved disinlet-opening near which it; is flexibly connected with one end of the float-box, a Waterdischar ing pipe in said holder pivotally couple at one end with said water-dis 5 charge spout and provided near its 0p osite In presence of:

end, at which it 1s flexibly connecter with B. W. SEDWIOK,

the opposite end of the float-box, with a. Z. T. ADAMS.

valved outlet for the water therefrom, and a pipe leadin from said smaller dischargeopening to 1; 1e fi0at b0x.

WILLIAM MCAFEE BRUCE. 

